Seal for containers



March 12, 1940;

J. E. ROACH 2,193,521

sEAi. FOR CONTAINERS Original Filed Aug. 6, 1935 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

edge of the disk like member l4 and the outer side walls of this channel form the inner or bottom'wall of the channel H. The formation of this channel 20 produces an upstanding annular bead 32 extending entirely around the disk like member I4 and this construction provides an annular space or pocket 35 between the outer side walls of the beads and the adjacent side walls of the container Ill.

The reference numeral 40 designates a sealing element which is adapted to be inserted within the open end of the container after the disk like member It has been sealed therein. This sealing element 40 is preferably of a size to snap into the channel l2 and be retained therein, and the proportions of the several parts will be such that when this sealing element 40 is in position it will rest upon the annular bead 32 of the disk like member l4, as shown in the drawing, to provide a space 42 between the disk like member and the sealing element. This space will be suiflcient to house a circular or other descriptive matter which is illustrated in Figure 3 at 43. The sealing element, as. shown in Figure 2, is provided .with two lines of perforations 46 to provide a removable section 41, which section has one free end,48 by which it may be grasped and severed from the sealing element to provide two removable sections 49 and 50. The section 61 is provided with a slot 51, and this slot provides for the insertion of the circular or descriptive matter 83 after the sealing element has been positioned as described.

The operation and method of use will now be described.

The commodity to be fed and stored is designated by the reference character 60. It is filled into the container to the desired level after which the disk like member is inserted in the open end of the container and pressed downwardly upon the commodity 60. The pressure applied to the disk like member causes the commodity to rise and fill the annular channel 20 and a portion of the commodity will pass through the perforations l9 into the annular channel II. If the commodity is fed in a warm or heated state, upon cooling and contraction thereof the disk-like member will follow the same downwardly so that the annular channel 20 will at all times remain filled, and there will be no voids between the upper level of the commodity and the walls of said annular channel. Also, under such conditions, the openings l9 will be sealed by the commodity, thus preventing the entrance of air through the interior of the container behind the disk like member l4. After the disk like member M has been positioned, a sealing medium 59, of which parafin wax is one good example, is poured in hot liquid state into the space orpocket until it reaches the level of the top of the bead 32, after which and while this sealing medium is still hot and in liquid state, the sealing element is positioned so that as the sealing medium cools, the element 40 will be sealed in contact with the annular bead 32 throughout its entire length.

When the sealing medium is poured into the space or pocket 35 it passes through the perforations l8 into the annular channel l1, filling the same, and this portion of the sealing medium 59 together with that retained in the space or pocket 35 forms an eflective seal between the disk like member I, the side walls of the container, and the sealing element 40, which will exclude "all possibility of air entering the container.

I By practicing the method just described, the

disk like member H in effect floods upon the commodity 60 and will always remain in contact therewith. By reason of this fact transportation of a number .of containers thus filled will not permit movement of the commodity within the container and will thus preserve its consistency and prevent its return to syrup when such commodity is of the character or type which results in such action.

To gain access to the container it is only necessary to tear out the section 4'! of the element 40, remove the circular 43, place the fingers or a tool under the inner edges of the two sections 49 and 50whereby they may be bodily removed.

The element 40 being removed a sharp instrument such as a knife is run around the edge of the sealing medium 59 and the element 40 may then be bodily removed, which action brings with it the loosened sealing medium leaving the upper surface of the commodity clear and clean.

Means is provided for lifting the element 40 from the container as described, and this means consists preferably of a pair of wing like members 10 and 1| which are formed by severing the upper ply ii of the disk like member H as indicated at 12. After the sealing element 40 has been .removed, these wing like members may be bent upwardly to a position where they may be gripped to remove bodily the disk like member M.

In Figure 8 I have illustrated a slightly modiiicd form of sealing element. In this form the sealing element is designated 40' and is provided with a central opening such as 42' sufliciently large to permit of the insertion of a finger thereinto and pull the element 40' to remove the same from the container. In this form the element 40' is not torn or separated into separate elements as is the element 60 in the previously described form of the invention.

In Figure 5 I have shown a still further modifled form of the invention in which the sealing element, designated 60', takes the form of a disk like member having an upstanding flange portion 5! and depending flange portion 62. The body portion of the sealing element 65 is so constructed and arranged as to force a portion of the depending flange 62' into the annular channel l2 in the side wall of the container when the sealing element is placed in position. In this form of the invention the sealing element may be provided either with the removable section 41 as shown in Figure 3 or with the opening as illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawing to facilitate its removal from the container.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides an effective seal for containers in which the several objects recited are accomplished and, although the invention has been herein illustrated in certain specific forms it is to be understood that it isnot to be limited to the constructions herein shown and that it may be practiced in other forms without departing from the spirit thereof.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is:

1. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into and closing the open end of a container, said disk like member having a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the disk like member is in position therein,

' the side walls of said channel being perforated.

member having a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the disk like member is in position therein, the side walls of said channel being perforated, said disk like member also having an annular channel in its inner face, said annular channel being spaced from the peripheral edge of the disk N like member.

3. A seal for containers comprising a disk like member having a peripheral channel the side walls of which are perforated, said peripheral channel being closed by the side walls of a container when the disk like member is positioned in the open end of a container and a separate sealus ing member adapted for insertion into the open end of the container after the disk like member has been positioned therein. L

4. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into the open 20 end of a container, said disk like member having an annular channel in its inner face, said channel forming an upstanding annularvbead on the outer face of the disk like member, said head being spaced from the peripheral edge of the disk 25 like member, and a separate sealing element insertable into the open end of the container, said separate sealing element forming with the first disk like member, the annular bead and the side wall of the container, an annular pocket for the 3d reception of a sealing medium, and a sealing medium in said annular pocket.

5. A closure for containers comprising a disk e member adapted for insertion into the open,

, end of a container, said disk like member having 35 a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the disk like member is in position therein, an annular bead on the outer face of the disk like member, and a separate sealing element insertable into 40 the open end of the container, said sealing element being spaced from the disk like member by the said annular bead to form a pocket between the disk like member and the sealing element within the confines of said annular bead. at 6. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into the open end of a container, said disk like member having a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the-disk so like member is in position therein, an annular bead on the outer face of the disk like member, a separate sealing element adapted to rest on said annular bead and spaced from the disk like member by said annular bead to provide a pocket beas tween the disk like member and said separate sealing element within the confines of the annular head, said separate sealing element having an opening therein to provide access to said pocket. 7. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into the open end of'a container, said disk like member having a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the disk like member is in position therein, an annular bead on the outer face of the disk like member, a separate sealing element adapted to rest on said annular bead in spaced relation to the disk like member, and means for removing said separate sealing element from the open end of the con- 10 talner. I 8. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into the open end of a container, said disk like member having a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the disk like member is in position therein, an annular bead on the outer face of the disk like member, 5 a separate sealing element adapted to rest on said annular bead in spaced relation to the disk like member, and means for removing said separate sealing element from the open end of the container, said last mentioned means comprising 10 wing member adapted to be 'bent'outwardly to provide hand grips.

9. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into the open end of a container, said disk like member having a peripheral channel having its open side closed by the side walls of the container when the disk like member is in position therein, an annular bead on the outer face of the disk like member, a separate sealing element adapted to rest on said annular bead in spaced relation to the disk like member. and means for removing said separate sealing element from the open end of the container, said last-mentioned means comprising a removable section adapted to be severed from the separate sealing element to divide it into separately removable sections.

10. A closure for containers comprising a disk like member adapted for insertion into the open end of a container, an annular bead on the outer face of said disk like member, a separate sealing element adapted to rest on said annular bead in spaced relation to the disk like member to form a pocket between the disk like member and the separate sealing element and within the confines of the annular bead, and a removable section in said separate sealing elements, said removable section having an opening therein to provide I access to said pocket.

11. A closure and seal for containers comprising a disk like member for closing the open side of a container, said disk like member comprising two relatively thin sections securedtogether throughout their major area, the peripheral edges of said sections being spaced from each other thereby to provide a peripheral channel open on the peripheral edge of the disk like member, the opposite side walls of which are perforated with the perforations in each wall staggered with relation to the perforations in the other side wall .5 of the channel, an annular channel upon the inner face of said disk like member, said annular channel being spaced with relation to the peripheral edge of the disk like member with its outer wall forming the inner wall of said peripheral 55.

channel, a sealing element, said disk like member and said sealing element being so constructed and arranged that when placed in the open side of a container to close the same, the sealing element rests upon the inner annular channel of go the disk like member with the peripheral edges of the disk like member and the sealing element engaging the side walis of the container thereby to form an annular space enclosed by the side walls of the container, one of the walls of the o5 peripheral channel, the outer wall of the annular channel and the sealing element, and a sealing medium filling said annular space and extending through theperforations in one of the side walls of the peripheral annular channel, 3

,i JESSE E. ROACH.

channel into said I 

